This series addresses core concepts of reading, analyzing, and interpreting literature in the college classroom. This presentation is primarily meant to be a supplement to classroom lecture and discussion, but you may find it useful to review some key concepts for literary studies and improve overall skills in reading and interpretation.

1. ENGL:1200 – INTERPRETATION OF LITERATURE:
“LITERARY JOURNEYS”
KATIE OSTDIEK
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2. What did you find most difficult when you
were reading Marilynne Robinson’s Home?
30 seconds

3. What did you find most difficult when you
were reading Marilynne Robinson’s Home?
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4. What reading strategies, practices or
methods did you find useful?
30 seconds

5. What reading strategies, practices or
methods did you find useful?
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6. What have you found most difficult about
reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-
Five?
1 minute

7. What have you found most difficult about
reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-
Five?
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8. In poetry, we specifically examined:
• Rhyme, diction, syntax, punctuation, alliteration,
imagery, and figurative language
In poetry and fiction, we pay attention to:
• the distinctions between author, narrator, and
speaker(s)
• Literary devices, such as characters, themes,
motifs, symbols, and allusions

9. LITERARY ELEMENTS
LITERARY TECHNIQUES
…have an inherent existence in literature and are
used by authors to develop a literary text, e.g. plot,
setting, narrative structure, characters, mood, theme,
etc. They are a necessary part of the writing process!
…are structures employed by authors for artistic ends
and to give readers a greater understanding and
appreciation for the work. Examples include:
metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, alliteration,
hyperbole, allusion, etc.

10.  LITERARY ELEMENTS:
• Plot - It is the logical sequence of events that develops a story.
• Setting – When and where does the story take place? How does that
change your interpretation?
• Protagonist - The main character of story, novel or a play e.g. Hamlet in
the play Hamlet
• Antagonist – The character in conflict with the Protagonist e.g. Claudius
in the play Hamlet
• Narrator - The person who tells the story.
• Narrative method - The manner in which a narrative is presented
comprising plot and setting.
• Dialog – How the characters of a narrative speak to one another.
• Conflict - The issue in a narrative around which the whole story revolves.
• Mood - The general atmosphere of a narrative.
• Theme – The central idea or message of a story.

11.  LITERARY TECHNIQUES
• Imagery: the use of figurative language to create visual representations of
actions, objects and ideas in our mind in such a way that they appeal to our
physical senses. For example:
 The room was dark and gloomy. -The words “dark” and “gloomy” are visual images.
 The river was roaring in the mountains. – The word “roaring” appeals to our sense of hearing.
• Metaphor and Simile: Both compare two distinct objects and draws similarity
between them. The difference is that Simile uses “as” or “like” and Metaphor
does not. For example:
 “My love is like a red red rose” (Simile)
 He is an old fox very cunning. (Metaphor)
• Hyperbole: It is deliberate exaggeration of actions and ideas for the sake of
emphasis. For example:
 Your bag weighs a ton!
 I have got a million issues to look after!
• Personification: gives a thing, an idea or an animal human qualities. For
example:
 The flowers are dancing beside the lake.
 Have you see my new car? She is a real beauty!

12.  LITERARY TECHNIQUES
• Alliteration: It refers to the same consonant sounds in words
coming together. For example:
 Better butter always makes the batter better.
 She sells seashells at seashore.
• Allegory: It is a literary technique in which an abstract idea is
given a form of characters, actions or events. For example:
 “Animal Farm”, written by George Orwell, is an example allegory using the
actions of animals on a farm to represent the overthrow of the last of the
Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before
WW II. In addition, the actions of the animals on the farm are used to
expose the greed and corruption of the Revolution.
• Irony: the use of the words in such a way in which the
intended meaning is completely opposite to their literal
meaning. For example:
 The bread is soft as a stone.
 So nice of you to break my new PSP!

13.  Preview
 Predict
 Record
 Guess
 Review
 Share

14.  Preview your reading:
• Sometimes that means reviewing titles or section headings. In fiction you may want to preview how
many pages and paragraphs you have to read to anticipate your pace.
 Predict what you may encounter.
• This may help you ask questions that will support or contradict what you read and help construct the
big picture.
 Record your notes.
• Include important plot points, new characters, or new and potent bits of information in your notes.
Make sure you also note page numbers to return to with future questions.
 Guess the meaning of new vocabulary or ideas based on context.
• This is an important reading skill that will help your comprehension as you encounter difficult and new
genres.
 Review or paraphrase a section when you’ve finished it.
• Making sense of each part will help you with the big picture.
 Share your thoughts!
• We spend our class time discussing the texts we read, not simply because we can, but because it
helps our reading comprehension. Our ability to comprehend what we read increases when we share
our interpretations and questions, especially when we read difficult texts.

15.  Set aside time for reading.
• Put your phone on silent and find a quiet place to read for 30 minutes to
an hour. The first time it may be difficult to focus, like using a new
muscle, but it will get easier each time. Often our struggle with reading is
simply a struggle to focus.
• If you have to reread the same page more than once, do so. Completing
a 50 page reading assignment may take anywhere from 30 minutes to
several hours. Don’t be ashamed of slow reading; reading slowly can be
a benefit to close reading and analysis.
 Have a note-taking process.
• You may prefer post-it notes, index cards, or a simple notebook that you
keep by your books. Regardless of how you decide to record new
information, you must remember that when you read for a class you will
be asked to discuss or describe what you’ve read. Find a process that
works for you.

16.  Now divide into groups and go back over the
earlier questions and your responses.
• What are your biggest struggles when reading?
• How do you cope with those struggles?
• What are your specific struggles with Vonnegut’s novel?
 On a separate sheet of paper, have your group
write out your responses. Put each member’s
name at the top and turn in to me. (digital copies
are acceptable; send to katherine-
wetzel@gmail.com)